Everything started with a simple environmental protest. It was only after the use of violent force by the police that this small protest snowballed into a rightful national revolt. It would be a grave understatement to describe the use of police force as mere excessive. Reporters from BBC and CNN put it simply while saying “I’ve never seen such an excessive use of tear gas anywhere else.”

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Everything started with a simple environmental protest. It was only after the use of violent force by the police that this small protest snowballed into a rightful national revolt. It would be a grave understatement to describe the use of police force as mere excessive. Reporters from BBC and CNN put it simply while saying “I’ve never seen such an excessive use of tear gas anywhere else.”

Meanwhile the Turkish prime crime minister, who is calling the protesters “a handful of plunderers”, is busy with media censorship and shutting down social media. Dozens of bloggers are arrested. (Oh, by the way the journalists that stood up against the censorships in the past are in jail already — keep scrolling down to find Turkey at rank 154 at Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.)

4177 people are reported to be hospitalized, including journalists, some celebraties and a member of the parliament. 10 have lost their eye after being hit by plastic bullets. 3 casualties. Please see what’s happening. Beware there are some very disturbing scenes; believe me these are not the worst. There are many more details in Wikipedia.

People of Turkey need your help. Please take a minute to sign this petition, and share it with your friends. International pressure on the Turkish government is the only way to force them to stop the police violence.